The place of religion in public life

The place of religion in public life

This weekend I am speaking alongside others at a conference on 'The Place of Religion in Public Life', bringing together Humanist, Christian and Muslim contributors to a day of discussion about negotiating different beliefs in society.

Though the role of religion in society has come back onto the agenda with a vengeance in recent years, the political, spiritual and intellectual resources at our disposal for handling the issues involved seem perilously thin on all sides in public life.

This paper aims to reconstruct some key terms in the debate and to offer a positive case for a 'disestablished' form for religion within a plural social and political order. In particular, it suggests that the alternative to hegemonic religion or attempts to exclude religion from public life lies in the rediscovery of an alternative form of politics rooted in practical 'goods' and 'virtues' derived from different communities and traditions, accompanied by the development of a 'civil state' framework.

I'm particularly interested in showing that, while coercive religion is hugely problematic, there is actually a radical, levelling, liberating and subversive dynamic within Christianity which enables us (a plural 'us') to think and act in surprising, creative ways in relation to sharing public space, remaking economics, peacemaking, practicing restorative justice, developing a politics of forgiveness, refounding communities - and much more.

A proper distinction between the institutional interests of particular belief communities and the functioning of an enabling / preserving state is necessary - but not sufficient - for the renewal of civil society as a place of mutually beneficial cooperation, discussion, dialogue, disagreement and negotiation.

As it happens, I also spoke at the launch of the HPG's booklet 'The Case for Secularism', at the Royal Society of Arts, in November 2007, offering a critical Christian appreciation entitled 'Open secularism meets open religion': http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6301

It will be interesting to see how the debate, and my own thinking, has moved on in the intervening several years.